Japan Cricket Association tour Scotland

26 Apr

From Copy:Cricket Scotland, Photos:Japan Cricket Association

In 1863 an extraordinary set of circumstances led to the first ever cricket match played in Japan.

A British Royal Navy force ordered to leave the country by the emperor was stranded due to security reasons. Unable to move, the ruling military commander and the local Yokohama people challenged them to a game of cricket. Armed with rifles the small group came to shore and carried revolvers whilst playing.

Next week the Japanese Cricket Association embarks on their first ever tour of Scotland to commemorate the 150th anniversary of that historic day.

Starting on the 1st of May, a series of men’s and women’s games played over three days across Scotland begins the celebration of this remarkable relationship between the two cricketing nations.

Indeed the relationship between Scottish and Japanese Cricket extends back to the 19th century.

A tea inspector born in Glasgow, James Mollison, was a key figure in growing the foundations of cricket all over Japan. He was responsible for the establishment of Yokohama Cricket Club, the first ever cricket club in the country, and the growth of Cricket in the nation.

It is in Glasgow where both Japanese teams will begin their tour of Scotland with games against Western District men’s team and the Scottish women’s Wildcat XI.

From then on they will face both a male and female President’s XI, before the final men’s fixture against an East of Scotland team on the Friday.

Japanese Cricket has been on the rise in recent years, and with the tour of Scotland tying in with the 150th anniversary there are fresh hopes that it will give some added exposure to Japanese Cricket. The CRICKET FOR SMILES AID was set up shortly after the Japan earthquake in 2011 with the aim of helping children in the affected areas and to provide enjoyment through cricket. This initiative has seen the popularity of cricket increase significantly and will hopefully lead to a new generation of Japanese cricketers.

The mini tour of Scotland will go a long way to strengthening the cricketing, political and cultural ties between Scotland and Japan, hopefully leading to a long-lasting tie between the two sporting nations for many years to come.

“We are delighted to be welcoming the Japan teams to Scotland for this historic visit to celebrate 150 years of cricket in Japan. There are strong links between our countries with the first cricket club in Japan being founded by a Scot and the Japanese Cricket Association Chief Executive Alex Miyaji being half Scottish.

The tour will also support the Cricket for Smiles, charity set up by Alex,which has had support from within the Scottish Parliament and their tour will include a visit to Holyrood.

As well as games against the ESCA and WDCU select sides, Thursday will see the first time that Cricket Scotland will field both a male and female President’s XI. We look forward to three days of competitive cricket on the field and an opportunity to further strengthen the links between our two countries during the social events planned around the games.”

There will be live ball-by-ball scoring available through from the Wildcats XI and the Cricket Scotland President’s fixtures from the Cricket Scotland website (www.cricketscotland.com) courtesy of CricHQ.